Car-coupling



(No Model.)

` D. T. HUBBELL.

GAB GOUPLING.

No. 257,011. Patented Apr.25,1882.

:UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

DAVID T. HUBBELL, OF BETHEL, UONNEGTICUT.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,011, dated April 25, 1882.

Application filed January 14, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom lit may concern:

Be it known that I, DAVID T. HUBBELL, of Bethel, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, have inventcd certain new and useful Improvements in Car- Oouplings, of which the following is a specifi'cation.

The cars in use on different lines vary so much in the height of their draw-bars above the rails that difliculty is often experiencedin couplng them; and the principalobject of my invention is to provide a convenient and simple coupliug device which may be used in place ofthe ordinary link,with the ordinary couplingpins, for coupling cars, and which will enable cars in which the height of the draw-bars above the rails differs widely to be conveniently coupled. Another object of the invention is to provide for the self-coupling of' the cars' when they are'brought together without the necessity of any. person going between them. To this end the invention consistsin a coupling cornposed of two parts, each of which is provided with a tongue or shank adapted to enter an ordinary draw-head and be secured therein by the ordinary coupling-pin, one of said parts being provided with a vertical bar or yoke and the other withjaws, between which said bar or yoke is received, and a transverselymovable looking pin or bolt adapted to engage with said bar or yoke when it is iuserted between said jaws, as hereinaftcr more fully described. The part which is provided with the aforesaid vertical bar or yoke may have its shank or tongue which rcceives the vertical pin placed out of the center vertical] y, so that the said part may be used either side up in accordance as the draw-head to which it is connected is above or belowthe opposite drawhead.

Theinvention also consists in devices, hereinafter described, whereby cars having my improved couplingmay be coupled and uncoupled without the necessity of going between them.

In the accompanying drawings,I `igure1 represents a horizontal section of two draw-heads connected by my improved couplng. Fig. 2 represents a partly sectional side view thercof. Fig. 3 represents a partly sectional plan view of portions of two cars connected by my coupling, and Fig. 4 represents an end view of a portion of one of said cars.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures.

A A' designate the draw-heads of two cars which are to be coupled, which are constructed with the usual sockets or cavities for the reception of coupling-links, and are provided with the usual verticalIy-movablc couplingpins,a.

B and G designate the two parts of my improved coupling, which are adapted to be connected one with each draw-head. The parts B 0 are formed with shanks or tongues B' Gl, which are adapted to enter the sockets or cavities in the draw-heads, and are provided with vertical holes or eyes b for the reception of the coupling-pins a.

The part B of the coupling is formed with an opening or cavit-y, B2, extending from the -upper to the under side thereof, forming a pair of ja-ws, and is provided with a transverselymovablelockingpin or bolt, D,which is adapted to extend across the said opening or cavity. In the present example of my invention the looking' pin or bolt D is connected by a cross head or piece, D', with a guide pin or rod, D2, which is also movable transversely to the part B, and has upon it a spring, c, for impelling the looking pin or bolt inward across the opening or cavity E2. The pin or bolt D may be drawn outward to uncouple by a chain, d, or other means. i

The part O of the conpling is const-ructed with a vertical bar oriyoke, c, which is adapted to enter the opening E2, and which is secured in said opening by the locking-bolt passing across said opening behind it.

In order to provide for automatically coupling the two parts B G, I employ a. trippingstop, E, which is pivoted atfin the end of the opening orcavity 132, and is adapted to swing forward, as shown ing. 2, until its lower end strikes against the end of the openingB2 at g, which forms a stop or abutment therefor. VVhen the looking pin or bolt D is drawn back and the bar or yoke c recedes the stop E follows it and drops into line with the looking pin or bolt, thereby preventing the latter from moving forward.

When the cars are to be coupled the bar or yoke e comes in contact with the stop E, and by pushing it inward releases the looking pin or bolt D and allows the latter to move forward to couple the parts B and G together.

As clearly shown in Fig. 2, the shank or tongue O' of-the part G may be out of the center vertically between the upper and lower sides of said part, and the latter may be used with either side nppermost. Where the drawhead A' is higher than the draw-head A, as in Fig. 2, the part G is arranged, as shown, so that the shank or tongue G' is nearest the top; but if the draw-head A' were the-lowest the part O should be reversed in position.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, which show the devices employed for nnconpling, F designates the cars to which thecouplingis applied. In this example of my invention the chain d on the transversely-movable locking pin or bolt D is connected with a lever, G, which is pivoted at h, and designates a horizontal lever, which is fulcrumed at i', and is connected with the lever G by a link, t'z. By pulling the outer end of the lever away from the car the link 412 is straightened into line with the lever and moves the lever G to draw back the locking pin or bolt D. The same result may be produced by means of an uprightlever, 7', pivoted atj' and connected by a link,j2, with the lever G, and when the coupling is applied to a box freight-car the leverj may be extended upward to the top of the car, as shown in dottcd lines in Fig. 4. The two levers i andjenable the cars to be nncoupled either from the platform or side of the car and without going between the cars.

By my invention I provide a very simple and convenient device, which may be carried by a train and employed to couple thereto cars having higher or lower draw-heads.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Acouplingcomposed of two parts,each of which is provided with atongneorshank adapted toenteran ordinarydraW-headandbesecnred therein by the ordinary coupling-pin, one of said parts being provided with a vertical bar or yoke and theother with jaws,between which said bar or yokeis received, and a transverselymovable looking pin or bolt adapted to engage with said bar or yoke, snbstantially as herein described.

2. In acoupling, the combination of the part O, provided with the tongue or shank Of, which is arranged ont of the center vertically, so as to adapt the conpling for cars having drawheads at different heights, and also provided with the bar or yoke e, the part B, Jrovided with the shank or tongue Bl, and the vertical slot or opening B2, forming jaws, and the transversely-movable looking pin or bolt D, all constructed and-operating substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination ofthe partB, thelocking pin or bolt D, its attached guide-rod D2, the spring c, the tripping-lever E, and the part G, having a bar or yoke, e,substantially as specified. f f

4. The combination of the part B and its transverse pin or bolt D, the part O and its bar or yoke e, the lever G, and the lever i, connected with said lever G, substantially as specified.

5. The combination of the part B and its transverse looking pin or bolt l), the part C and its bar or yoke e, the lever G, and the leverj, connected with said lever G, substantially as specilied.

DAVID T. HUBBELL. W'itnesses:

'FRANK F. MEAD, LINDLEY D. HUBBELL. 

